Non-refillable bottle.



F. H. LEITHEISER. NON-REFILLABLE BOTTLE APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1915.

1,183,304. Patented May16, 1916.

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NoN-RErILLABnE BOTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed July 16, 1915. Serial No. 40,208.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. LEITHEISER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Non-Refillable Bottle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

This invention relates to closures for bottles or the like and has particular reference to a simple, cheap and effective means for preventing the refilling of a bottle.

Among the objects of the invention, more definitely stated, is to provide a means for the neck of a bottle providing for free outflow of the contents but preventing the introduction of other material to the bottle after it has been emptied, the means to prevent such introduction including a plurality of valve devices cooperating with the same holding means and also including a movable weight to effect the prompt seating of the principal valve.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improvement with the parts in closed position; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the parts in pouring position; and Figs. 3, land 5 are cross sectional details on the corresponding lines of F ig. 1.

By the term bottle as used herein I wish to be understood as meaning to cover any cask or container to which my improvement may be applied.

As an illustration of means for carrying out this invention, I show a bottle 10 having a neck 11 secured thereto in any suitable permanent manner as indicated at the joint 12. The interior of the neck is formed tapered and flaring downwardly slightly. In the formation or blowing of the neck it is provided with a circumferential groove 13 and with two series of longitudinal grooves 14.- and 15 above and below the grooved portion respectively. It is also pro vided with a fixed permanent transverse bar 16 guarding the upper end thereof.

At 17 I show a cage comprising a hollow frusto conical upper end fitted snugly upwardly into the grooved portion of the neck and provided with an annular groove "18 complemental to the groove 13 and within which grooves is adapted to be placed a compressible locking member 19 of rubber, cork or other suitable material, the same being carried with the cage when the cage is forced into place from the larger lower end of the neck before the neck is secured to thebottle. The lower end of the cage is provided with an upwardly projecting conical concavity 20. The middle portion of the cage comprises a vertical series of bars 21 shown as three in number and serving to connect the upper hollow conical portion with the bottom solid portion. The grooves 15 extend upwardly past the lower end of the cage and communicate with the spaces between the bars 21 and with the hollow interior of the upper end of the cage. This upper end of the cage constitutes a seat for a vertically reciprocating valve 22 of disk form adapted to move upwardly or outwardly toward the mouth of the bottle when the bottle is tilted until it strikes against the guard 16. This valve has a central stem 23 projecting downwardly through the cage and guided in a hole 24 formed through the lower portion of the cage. The valve 22 effectively prevents the introduction of liquid into the bottle downwardly through the cage, and when unseated, therefore, the liquid may flow outwardly past the valve along the grooves 14.

At 25 I provide a shoulder upon the bottle upon or against which a ring 26 is seated and held by the bottle neck when applied, and this ring supports an annular valve seat 27 which may be faced with a ring of cork or other gasket 28. Cooperating with the upper surface of this gasket is a float mem ber 29 preferably of hollow formation with its concavity on its lower surface, and adjacent thereto is another float member 30 of substantially cylindrical. form but movable with the first mentioned float longitudinally in the bottle neck within the limits provided by the means described below. Within the space between the float 30 and the cage I introduce a weight 31 in the form of a ball adapted to rest normally upon the float 30 and thereby holding the float 29 snugly against the gasket 28, and when the bottle is inverted the ball will enter the conical concavity in the lower portion of the cage, but down the inclined side of which the ball will roll freely when the bottle is returned toward its upright position. The ball actin downwardly along this inclination will eil'ectively seat the lower valves even before it has reached its horizontal position. When the bottle is tilted, the ball will positively unseat the upper valve 22 preventing any tendency for atmospheric pressure to keep the valve closed, the ball at such time acting against the lower end of the stem 23.

I claim 2-- 1. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination of a neck having a tapered inner surface, one portion of which is smooth and provided with a circumferential groove, said neck also being provided with vertical series of grooves above and below said smooth portion and also being provided with a transverse guard above the smooth portion, a cage fitted snugly into the smooth portion of the neck and having a circumferential groove therein complemental to the groove aforesaid, compressible locking means carried in the grooves, the upper end of the cage being hollow and connected to the lower end of the cage by a series of vertical bars, the spaces between the bars providing communication between the lower series of grooves and the hollow upper end of the cage, a check valve acting between the cage and said guard and having a stem extending downwardly through the bottom of the cage, and a weight below the cage acting upon the stem to unseat the check valve when the bottle is tilted.

2. In a non-refillable bottle, the combination of a neck having a tapered inner surface, one portion of which is smooth and provided with vertical series of grooves above and below said smooth portion and also being provided with a transverse guard above the smooth portion, a cage fitted snugly into the smooth portion of the neck, the upper end of the cage being hollow and connected to the lower end of the cage by a series of vertical bars, the spaces between the bars providing communication between the lower series of grooves and the hollow upper end of the cage, a check valve acting between the cage and said guard and having a stem extending downwardly through the bottom of the cage, anda weight below the cage acting upon the stem to unseat the check valve when the bottle is tilted.

FRANK H. LEITHEISER;

Witness PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

